85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[RodsGreen10]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Thanks for sharing. I had a set on the 84 Sierra I just sold and they seemed to do much better than stock.

Its sad, but I tried working with Jegs in the past and failed. I spent an hour on the phone arguing with them over a price match that they said didnt exist. Even though I sent them the link to the page, they refused to honor it. No more Jegs for me.

Yes they do perform a little better. But the looks is worth the price of admission. I just use the Jegs online price match they have so I don't have to deal with idiots.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by RodsGreen10

Yes they do perform a little better. But the looks is worth the price of admission. .....

They do look good peaking through an open wheel. The color is a close match to the GMC logo, so they get bonus points for that.

[funkatation]

Jegs has been great for me but I also just use the online link. I've only had them come back once and ask for the link again to confirm. I've probably spent 10k with them over the last year and they have been solid. Summit has been ok too but their price match isn't as easy.

[N2TRUX]

I took a break from shop time and hit a local swap meet Saturday morning. This one can be great source for hard to find parts. Unfortunately this time it was not.
I blasted through looking for anything I "needed" and passed on several items I "wanted"..
I found a taillight dealer and made my deal for the day and we left. I was pleased that I got a decent deal on something I really needed.

I knew the taillights were faded and yellowed. I didn't realize how much till I compared the new set. I had planned to reuse the trim, but they had more scratches and dings than I realized.

[N2TRUX]

I pulled the old lenses and saw that the inner reflectors were faded too. They were mounted with a variety of miss matched screws too.

I scuffed and painted the reflectors a bright silver. A few minutes in my spare screw file and I hade a matching set.

[N2TRUX]

No worries, I will dust off my hammer and dolly skills and see what I can do. The new set has your typical thin, poorly stamped ill fitting trim.

After an hour of gentle finessing dents, and sanding scratches they were ready for polish.

Another half hour spent on the Powerball, and they were taking shape. I found a set of matching stainless screws and mounted one side. It looked great and made me realize how dull the tailgate band was. .

[N2TRUX]

I wish this segment had a happy ending but it does not. It wasn't until I tried to mount the left assembly that I realized I had two rights and no left. GRRRRR!

The vendor had all his taillights nicely displayed with one lens out of the box and the other still wrapped in plastic inside. I verified that the second lens wasn't scratched or broken but "assumed" it was a left side. GRRRR!

Since it's not worth the time or tolls to drive back to Conroe, I will just buy one locally. Another life lesson learned.

Update! I found a lens at the local O'riellys and swapped my polished trim. We are good to go now.

[N2TRUX]

With the taillight catastrophe resolved it was time to get the rear suspension back together. We started with the replacing the wheel cylinders. As mentioned previously, one was wet so I decided to replace both. Good call because the second one was seeping too.

Fortunately the lines came off with no issues, and after a thorough clean up we installed the freshly painted cylinders. A quick scuff and shoot of the axle flange and I could put the drums back on.

[N2TRUX]

All of the suspension components that could be removed were bead blasted and painted. The stripped and broken U bolts were replaced with a fresh set, along with new flat and lock washers were installed.

I really like the clean look of stainless button heads, so the differential cover got a polished set. We installed a new gasket and bolted everything back together. A fresh fill of #90 gear oil, and the brakes were bled. We wiped everything down and checked for leaks. She was ready to set back on the ground for now.

Ignore the bent up brake lines. Those will be straightened and painted soon.

[lolife99]

Great progress on your new project!
I'm a firm believer in using anit-seize compound on double flare brake line fittings.
It allows things to come apart so much easier the next time,...

[aggie91]

More great progress. I just need to get past this bad luck around here and get back to getting my own square soon.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Great progress on your new project!
I'm a firm believer in using anit-seize compound on double flare brake line fittings.
It allows things to come apart so much easier the next time,...

Thanks Keith. We keep a can of anti-seize and a brush handy. I use it quite a bit.

Originally Posted by aggie91

More great progress. I just need to get past this bad luck around here and get back to getting my own square soon.

No kidding. I cant believe how much bad luck you have had with the squares in your family.

[GAc10boy]

I'm in. Love the attention to detail (per usual) and the overall look of the truck. Two-tone scheme is very nice!

[N2TRUX]

While under the truck working on the rear axle I spent some time looking things over. I knew there was no rust on the sheetmetal, but the inside of the frame rails werent as clean as the outside. After some research, I decided to clean up the rails and treat them with Rust-Mort to eliminate any future concern. I shopped around and once again ended up on the Summit Racing website.

I have discovered Summit Racing is like a crack addiction. They reel you in with the promise of free shipping, and all you have to do is spend 99.00. I could have just bought what I needed and paid the shipping, but I was only 72.90 away from a free ride. I went to my order history from my last build and soon had enough items to save shipping costs. Crack I tell ya, just like crack.

[N2TRUX]

Scarlett didn't come equipped with a sway bar, so I have been looking for one. I finally connected with a guy selling some parts on Facebook that had what I needed. He had a complete front frame section and didn't need the sway bar. I picked up a smoking deal on the package. All it needs is a clean up and new bushings.

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

All it needs is a clean up and new bushings.

Ahhhh, the start to another Summit order!

[GAc10boy]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

While under the truck working on the rear axle I spent some time looking things over. I knew there was no rust on the sheetmetal, but the inside of the frame rails werent as clean as the outside. After some research, I decided to clean up the rails and treat them with Rust-Mort to eliminate any future concern. I shopped around and once again ended up on the Summit Racing website.

I have discovered Summit Racing is like a crack addiction. They reel you in with the promise of free shipping, and all you have to do is spend 99.00. I could have just bought what I needed and paid the shipping, but I was only 72.90 away from a free ride. I went to my order history from my last build and soon had enough items to save shipping costs. Crack I tell ya, just like crack.

Gets me every time

[Palf70Step]

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Chaplain

First step involves acknowledging the problem.

Hi, my name is Ken and I'm a Summit racing junkie.

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

Ahhhh, the start to another Summit order!

Actually I can get them locally, so I'm safe for now.

Originally Posted by GAc10boy

Gets me every time

I know, right? Its like a game challenge that you just cant resist. Its a good thing they dont have a high score for the week, I would be broke.

[BB72CHEVKT]

Its a good thing they dont have a high score for the week, I would be broke.[/QUOTE]

LMAO

[Claytona08]

Great work on all your projects Ken. Just spent the last couple hours checking them out. Beautiful trucks and great attention to detail.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by BB72CHEVKT

Its a good thing they dont have a high score for the week, I would be broke.

LMAO I wish I was kiiding, but you know I'm not

Originally Posted by Claytona08

Great work on all your projects Ken. Just spent the last couple hours checking them out. Beautiful trucks and great attention to detail.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm not sure if my OCD is a blessing or a curse.

[Matt Man]

HAHA I had the same thought in my head as I was ordering my spindle bearings for my k10, I was only 60$ away from free shipping and was thinking what else do I need? But I resisted the temptation.

[N2TRUX]

Man, I though Amazon Prime was quick. I ordered my last batch of parts from Summit on Tuesday morning. They were all in stock, and shipped out of the Georgia warehouse that day. Its Thursday, and they were under my port-cache today when I got home. Now thats what I call service.

I new I didnt have enough time to work on clearing a spot to pull the bed, so I decided to take on a small task instead. When I picked up the sway bar, the seller used a sawzall to cut a section of the old frame out under the sway bar clamp stands. For those that dont know, the clamp stands are rivited to the frame.

Working with such a small piece of frame, I didnt think I could secure in my vise well enough to use my air chisel to remove the rivets, so I decided to drill them instead. I used a small bit for a pilot, then my Milwakee Uni-Bit set to take the rest out. If you dont own a good quality Uni-bit (Step-bit) you should invest in one. With the aid of some drilling lubricant, the bits cut through the rivets in short order.

The bolts were mismatched, so I dug through my spare bolt bin to find a matching set of bolts, washers, and nuts. Then I spent some quality time at the blasting cabinet getting all the rust and grunge off. They are all blasted clean, and ready for a coat of paint.

Sorry, no pics tonight. I'll get some in the morning when I spray the color on.

[GAc10boy]

Summit is truly amazing. Sounds like good progress!